Clock mechanism.



A. .I. THEREAULT.

CLOCK MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED ms. 12. m2. RENEWED JULY 2.191s.

1,275,791. l atented Aug. 13, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I 8] i= 28 jg ,16 l

9 3 I Z q awk fliIThereauLU.

A. J. THEREAULT.

CLOCK MECHANISM.

.APPL'ICATION FILED FEB. I2. l9ll- RENEWED JULY 2. I938. 1,275,791. Patented Aug. 13, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADBIEN J. THEBEAULT, or nmrymnn, new YORK, ns'sreuoa, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO FRED n. KALGK, or AMTYVILIQJEW OBK.

CLOCK MEGHANISH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed Iebruary 12,1917, Serial No. 148,110. Renewed July 2, 1918. Serial No. 243,090.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADRIEN J. THEREAULT, of Amityville, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to clock mechanism with which an illuminating medium is associated so that a plurality of clock dials bearing ornamental decorations, pictorial displays or advertisements may be successively brought into alinement with the time indicating elements and clearly exhibited.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Figs. 3 and 4 are details.

It has been customary in this art to provide a clock mechanism of the usual type and advertising display apparatus operated by the clock mechanism through suitable gearmg. I simplify the construction and materially lessen the cost of manufacture by making the clock mechanism itselfconstitute the advertising display apparatus. This I accomplish by providing the clock with a hollow center arbor. A center arbor, as understood in horology, is the arbor which carries the time indicating hands, one hand being mounted directly on thearbor shaft and the other on a sleeve partially inclosing the shaft. My hollow center arbor preferably comprises a cylinder or apair' of cylinders one inclosing the other and each carrying time indicating hands, the hands being securedat. their time indicating ,extremities to the inner walls of their cylinders. The cylinders thus form a channel through which a light may be directed and which is uninterrupted except for the time indicating hands. Each of the display or advertising elements preferably carries a clock dial so that when in alinement with the cylinders this dial will co-act with thehands to indicate the time.

As shown the minute hand 1 is mounted upon a cylinder 2 and extends radially into the cylinder, while the hour hand 3 is correspondingly mounted on cylinder 4 inclosed.

by the cylinder 2, one cylinder terminating short of the other topermit the minute hand plates and equipped'with a gear 7 rotated I by pinions 8, 9, 10, the last named being under the influence of the spring 12. The gear 7, in turn, may operate the balance wheel- 13 shown below the cylinders.

The inner or hour hand 3 is actuated by gear 14. As shown the cylinder 4 is mounted on this gear and carries the hand. The gear may be rotated by pinion 15 and gears 16, 17 the latter mounted upon cylinder 2.

I The proper ratio between the two cylinders may e established by the described gearing.

The advertising device is shown comprising a. disk 20 carried by a shaft 21 mounted in the plates and rotated by a spring 22. The disk carries at its periphery a series of strips 23 preferably of glass and each having a clock dial which may surround an advertising or pictorial representation or reading matter, the strip being secured to the disk as by binding screws 24. The path of the various strips in the rotation of the disk is such as to bring them into alinement with the hollow center arbor.

In order to provide for the intermittent rotation of the disk so that each illustration and time indicator will be exposed to view for a predetermined period, I employ the following parts. A star wheel 25 is shown mounted on the minute cylinder 2. A lever 26 is fulcrumed at thetop of plate 6 about in vertical line with the center of the star wheel and carries a pawl 27 at its lower free end. The tendency of the lever is thus to gravitate toward the star wheel and hold the pawl in contact with the notches or points. Across arm 28 is carried by the lever 26 and the disk has a plurality of pins 29 adapted to be engaged by one extremity or the other of the cross arm according as the pawl 27 is within one of the notches of the star wheel or riding over one of the points. The tendency of the disk being to rotate under the tension of spring 22, it is held against rotation by one of the pins 29 contacting and fifteen points. upon the pawl reaching a notch or a point of the cross arm placing its other extremity in the path of another pin to arrest the rotation of the disk. Any predetermined length of exposure may be provided for.

The star wheel may have, say, fifteen notches The action consequent is to swing the cross arm and release the disk and then stop it as described.

Anypreferred light may be employed at the rear of the mechanism and in line with the opening through the cylinders. By the means described this light encounters no obstruction, thus enabling the display of advertising or other matter and time indicating parts to be shown in bold relief.

I claim as my invention:

1. .A clock mechanism comprising a train of clock gearing having a hollow center arbor, time indicating hands carried by, said arbor, a plurality of display devices, and means for successively advancing said devicesinto alinement with said arbor.

2A clock mechanism comprising a train of clock gearing having a cylinder constituting a hollow center arbor, a pair of time indicating hands movable within said arbor, a plurality of display devices, and means for successively advancing said devices into alinement with said cylinders.

3. A clock mechanism comprising a pair of concentrically mounted cylinders constituting a hollow center arbor, one carrying an hour hand and the other a minute hand, means for rotating said cylinders, a plurality of display devices each having a clock dial thereon, and means for successively advancing said devices into alinement Withsaid cylinders. In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADRIEN J. THEREAULT. Witnesses:

EUGENE A. OSBORN, WALTER J. STRA'rroN. 

